7 Most Influential Books Every Businessman and Entrepreneur Must Read
Essential reading materials for your business and personal life. Best selling books and authors that will aid in paving your way to success.
Overview
Knowledge is power. This sentence is more than just an empty phrase or straight cliché.
When operating a business or doing everything in life, it is essential to minimize unknown factors.
Therefore, receiving knowledge from other people is the key to success. While receiving this know-how, you will save crucial time and effort by avoiding the mistakes others have made.
We will number the best reading materials business entrepreneurs must read and follow to be competitive and efficient on this list.
As Ill elaborate on later, books are only some sources of knowledge, but they hold the most information and convey the message in the most profound form.
Get that wine glass ready and start reading.
Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert T. Kiyosaki
In this fantastic book, Kiyosaki tells the story of a child raised by two fathers. The two father characters portray two different life approaches—one, of the entrepreneur-self-employed-businessman, and the other of the middle-class-salaried-employee.
From the two different approaches, you can derive tips that will help you change your financial strategy to life. The terms and language can be somewhat harsh and extreme for people raised in a particular “poor dad” mentality. But, I believe that this is what the author meant to do.
Shake you into changing your life.
Start With Why – Simon Sinek
Have you ever asked yourself, why do you do what you do? I’m sure the majority will answer, yes. If that is the case – why don’t you do the same when it comes to business or any project-driven decision?
Simon Sinek emphasizes the root problem that differentiates great companies and people from the rest. He does that by giving several examples like Steve Jobs’ Apple, or Martin Luther King Jr.
To avoid any further spoilers, the main if not the only thing that can help you create an industry-disrupting project is by starting with why.
Besides reading his book, check out one of the most viewed Ted Talks yet on the same topic. Actually, make a habit of watching it once a month.
This is Marketing – Seth Godin
The book by the well-rounded marketing guru Seth Godin does what its title says – it tells you the most important, somewhat paradigm disrupting, fact.
You should minimize your target market.
Besides this, in his book, he elaborates on the subject and gives you tools and examples in short, focus-minded paragraphs.
This must-read book lays down the essence of marketing for the mass (or not?).
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – Robin Sharma
Unlike the books I have recommended above, this book is targeted at your life’s spiritual aspect, whether in business or just your day-to-day.
The book elaborates on the tools and tricks one must use to be happy, complete, and handle the hardships one will encounter in life.
A great book that will balance out the rest of the sometimes, tutorial-like books and videos you will read and watch - A proper gym to train your soul and mind.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*CK – Mark Manson
This incredible book teaches you how to sift through your life, discover your actual values, and find out what is essential for you.
Once you figure it out, you should only care about those things. You shouldn’t let your mind be bothered with things that do not align with the values you set for yourself.
This book is essential if you want to live a good life. Business aside, this is a real lifesaver.
Back to business, there is no way for you to succeed if you try to handle everything at once. If you aren’t able to separate the wheat from the chaff, you will wear yourself out.
Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
The main takeaway from this fundamental book is: “Thought creates reality.” It is even in the book’s title. The basic notion that if you can’t imagine becoming wealthy or successful, how will you ever achieve it?
Hill also elaborates on the different methods you can take to define your goals and desires and achieve them through useful tips and steps.
In his almost academic book, Hill speaks on our most fundamental human urges such as sex and fear and how we can manipulate them into achieving our goals.
Another excellent book for fixing your mindset to success using practical methods.
The 10X Rule – Grant Cardone
Unlike most of the books on the list, this one is clearly of the Bullish kind. Cardone is a marketer that preaches about defeating the opposition. Because let’s face it, business is most of the time a dog-eat-dog world.
Cardone speaks of setting 10X goals and pursuing them with 10X actions because setting too high goals and thinking big can allow you to expect the unexpected. Thus, be more apathetic to significant changes and difficulties.
By creating a lot of opportunities for yourself, you can increase your odds of success.
This is another excellent book coming from a master marketer that uses many examples and practical advice.
Conclusion
There are a lot of ways to consume content and acquire know-how. Books are one of the more important ones because they can allow the author to elaborate on a topic and take the reader through a complete journey. They are thus conveying the message in a complete form. This is contrary to videos, podcasts, or even lectures where the speaker’s time is relatively short.
The books above are only some of an abundance of good reads for the business entrepreneur, but they help lay the fundamentals for what is to come.
The 7 Most Influential Books Every Businessman and Entrepreneur Must Read:
1. Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert T. Kiyosaki
2. Start with Why – Simon Sinek
3. This is Marketing – Seth Godin
4. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – Robin Sharma
5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*CK – Mark Manson
6. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
7. The 10X Rule – Grant Cardone
*Background Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
